Folding bracket mechanism

ABSTRACT

A bracket mechanism including an upper brace and a lower brace for mounting a support member, such as an ironing board, desk, table, drawing board, or the like, in either a substantially horizontal operative position or a substantially upright inoperative position. The braces are mounted for swinging movement in a cabinet in which the bracket mechanism and support member are stored, in the folded positions of said parts. The cabinet also provides in part a support for the swingably mounted braces. A latch means retains the support member and braces in the operative positions of said parts and is manually releasable to enable said parts to swing to folded storage positions.

United States Patent 1 1 1 1 9 Bergkamp et al. 1 May 1, 1973 1 FOLDINGBRACKET MECHANISM 1,886,983 11 1932 Soucie ..10s/39 [76] In entorsRobert Berg amp; Helen Gerber 2,646,634 7/1953 Mongar ..l08/39 gz z 223; Primary ExaminerBernard A. Gelak eney Assistant Examiner-Glenn O.Finch [221 Filed: Oct. 19, 1971 AttorneyJohn N. Randolph A bracketmechanism including an upper brace and a {52] U.S. Cl ..l08/39, 248/2401lower brace f ti a support member, Such as [51] Ilrl. Cl. ..A47b 3/00 ani i board desk7 table, drawing board or the [58] Fleld ofsearch-1086342; 312/237; 248/2401 like, in either a substantiallyhorizontal operative position or a substantially upright inoperativeposition. [56] References Cited The braces are mounted for swingingmovement in a cabinet in which the bracket mechanism and support UNITEDSTATES PATENTS member are stored, in the folded positions of said1,795,636 3/1931 Chandler ..10s/4o P The Cabinet Provides in P a supportfor 1,612,909 1/1927 Doman g the swingably mounted braces. A latch meansretains 1,129,315 2/1915 Sullivan 1 1 ..l08/33 the pp m r n braces n theoperative posi- 1,503,689 8/1924 Kroschel 108/42 X tions of said partsand is manually releasable to enable 1503,690 8/1924 Kroschel ..108/33said parts to swing to folded storage positions. l,753,423 4/1930Kroschel ..l08/38 X 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 33 i ii .32 7 a 1 47 40Z 7 3s 36 3 20 l 3 r 1111 1 l i m I 1 34 1 11. lyr -'11 z I l 23 sz leil3a" f 1 2b a 1 19 1 1 rl3 2 1 1i) Patented May 1, 1973 INVENTORS ROBERTL. BERGKAMP HELEN GERBER BERGKANP BYZZZVKM FOLDING BRACKET MECHANISMSUMMARY It is a primary object of the present invention to provide afolding bracket mechanism for supporting an ironing board, desk, table,drawing board, or the like, in either an extended, substantiallyhorizontal position for use, or in a retracted substantially uprightfolded position for storage.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of theaforedescribed character including a storage cabinet for containing thebracket mechanism and the member supported thereby in their foldedpositions, and which additionally supports the bracket mechanism in itsextended and also its folded positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a mechanism which maybe readily adjusted vertically for mounting the member supported therebyat different elevations, most convenient to the user.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, andwherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevational view ofthe bracket mechanism shown supporting an ironing board in an operativeposition, and with the near side of the cabinet omitted;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, taken substantiallyalong a plane as indicated by the line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view, taken substantiallyalong a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 ofFIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view, partly inelevation, taken substantially along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring more specifically tothe drawing, the bracket mechanism in its entirety is designatedgenerally 6 and includes a storage cabinet 7 having a rear wall 8,corresponding side walls 9 and a bottom 10.

A pair of upright plates 11 are disposed in the cabinet 7 and haveoutwardly offset upper ends 12 which aresecured by fastenings 13 to theside walls 9, and inturned lower ends 15, which are secured byadditional fastenings 13 to the bottom 10, for mounting the portions ofthe plates 11, disposed between said ends, within the cabinet and inspaced relationship to its side walls 9, as seen in FIG. 2. Said plateportions are provided with corresponding notches 16 which open towardthe front side of the cabinet and which are inclined upwardly andoutwardly toward their open ends.

Each side wall 9 supports a flange 17 which is disposed substantiallyabove the plates 11, near and substantially parallel to the rear wall 8.Each flange 17 is formed of a strip of angle iron and is secured byfastenings 18 to an inner side of one of the walls 9.

The bracket mechanism 6 additionally includes a lower brace, designatedgenerally 19, including a pair of corresponding brace arms 20 havinglower ends secured to a cross member 21, comprising a tube or rod. Thearms 20 are supported in spaced apart relation to one another by thecross member 21. Cross member 21 has terminal portions disposed beyondthe arms 20 and which engage corresponding notches 16 for swingablysupporting the bottom brace in the cabinet 7. The arms 20 are curvedadjacent the cross member 21 so that the end portions 22 and 23 thereofare disposed at substantially an obtuse angle to one another.

A supporting member 24, such as a rod or tube, has end portions 25 and26 disposed at substantially obtuse angle to one another. The shorterlower end 25 terminates in a tubular cross head 27 which fits tumably onthe cross member 21, between the arms 20. A tubular cross head 28 issecured to the terminal or upper end of the portion 26 and has a rod ortube 29 engaging turnably therein and supported thereby. The member 29forms the cross member of an upper brace 30 which includes correspondingsubstantially straight arms 31 and 32 which extend transverselytherefrom. Arms 31 and 32 straddle the member 28 but are spaced from theends of the cross member 29, which ends engage between the rear wall 8and the flanges 17.

An elongated support member 33 has a pair of transversely spaceddepending ears 34 to which the distal ends of the arm portions 23 arepivotally connected, as seen at 35. The support member 23 has a secondpair of transversely spaced depending ears 36 to which the outer ends ofthe arms 31 and 32 are pivotally connected, as seen at 37. The armportions 23 may be provided with a cross brace 38, adjacent the ears 34;and the arms 31 and 32 may be connected by a cross brace 39, near theears 36. The member 33 is shown as constituting an ironing board havingan inner end 40 and an outer end 41. Obviously, a desk, drawing, board,table or other horizontal type supported could be substituted for theironing board 33. Bars 34 are located nearer the end 40 than the end 41,and the ears 36 are disposed between the cars 34 and said end 40.

A latch plate 42 is secured to and. depends from the ironing board end40, is located on the outer side of the arm 32, and has an opening 43therein. A latching pawl 44 is pivotally mounted at 45, near its forwardend or nose 46 on the outer side of the arm 32, and has an oppositelonger end or handle 47. When the ironing board 33 is in a substantiallyhorizontal position, the nose 46 is engaged through the opening 43 ofthe latch plate 42 to retain the ironing board in its substantiallyhorizontal position. A stop pin 48 is secured to the underside of thearm 32 and extends outwardly therefrom to engage under the handle 47, toprevent the latch member 44 from swinging clockwise beyond its full lineposition of FIG. 4, to thus prevent release of the latch member from theplate 42, until the inner end 40 of the board 33 is swung downwardsufficiently to permit the latch to be swung counterclockwise to itsdotted line released position of FIG. 4. The latch member is also movedto this position and the board end 40 is swung downwardly beyond itsposition of FIG. 4 to enable the latch member 44 to be swung clockwisefrom its released, broken line position to its full line latchingposition.

It will be apparent that the supporting member 24 and the cross arm 29will be prevented by the flanges 17 from swinging forwardly, tocooperate with the plates 11 for supporting the parts in their positionsof FIG. 1 when the latch 44 is engaged. After the latch 44 has beenreleased the board 33 can be swung counterclockwise about the pivots 35and 37, and the braces 19 and 30 can be swung upwardly and inwardly forpositioning said braces and the ironing board in the dotted line, storedpositions of said parts, as seen in FIG. 1, within the cabinet 7.

The lower cross member 21 can be engaged in different ones of the pairsof horizontally aligned notches 16 to vary the elevation thereof and theelevation of the upper cross member 29, for varying the height of thesupport member 33 in its operative position. The upper cross member 29is obviously free to slide between the rear wall 8 and the flanges l7.

A pad or support plate 49 is secured between the inner ends of the arms31 and 32 for supporting an iron. Said paid can obviously be omittedwhen another type of support member is substituted for the ironing board33, and various other modifications and changes are contemplated and maybe resorted to without departing from the function or scope of theinvention.

We claim as our invention:

1. A folding bracket mechanism comprising a lower brace having an upperend and a lower end, a first means connected to said lower end forsupporting the lower brace for swinging movement about a horizontalaxis, an upper brace having an inner end and an outer end, a supportingmember turnably connected to and supported by said lower end of thelower brace and extending upwardly therefrom, said inner end of theupper brace being swingably connected to an upper end of the supportingmember for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, a support memberhaving an inner end and an outer end, a second means pivotallyconnecting the upper end of the lower brace and the outer end of theupper brace to the support member at points spaced different distancesfrom the ends of the support member, a cabinet containing said firstmeans and the supporting member and in which the braces and supportmember are stored in folded positions thereof, and flanges secured tothe cabinet and engaging and confining said upper end of the supportingmember therein.

2. A folding bracket mechanism as in claim 1, a latch carried by saidupper brace, and a keeper connected to said support member and disposedto be engaged by said latch for latching the parts in an extended,operative position.

3. A folding bracket mechanism as in claim 1, said flanges slidablyconfining the upper end of the supporting member for vertical movement,and said first means comprising notched uprights for supporting thelower end of the lower brace and said supporting member at differentelevations.

1. A folding bracket mechanism comprising a lower brace having an upperend and a lower end, a first means connected to said lower end forsupporting the lower brace for swinging movement about a horizontalaxis, an upper brace having an inner end and an outer end, a supportingmember turnably connected to and supported by said lower end of thelower brace and extending upwardly therefrom, said inner end of theupper brace being swingably connected to an upper end of the supportingmember for swinging movement about a horizontal axis, a support memberhaving an inner end and an outer end, a second means pivotallyconnecting the upper end of the lower brace and the outer end of theupper brace to the support member at points spaced different distancesfrom the ends of the support member, a cabinet containing said firstmeans and the supporting member and in which the braces and supportmember are stored in folded positions thereof, and flanges secured tothe cabinet and engaging and confining said upper end of the supportingmember therein.
 2. A folding bracket mechanism as in claim 1, a latchcarried by said upper brace, and a keeper connected to said supportmember and disposed to be engaged by said latch for latching the partsin an extended, operative position.
 3. A folding bracket mechanism as inclaim 1, said flanges slidably confining the upper end of the supportingmember for vertical movement, and said first means comprising notcheduprights for supporting the lower end of the lower brace and saidsupporting member at different elevations.